A/N; For that person who wanted jealous Dazai, I took that idea and incorporated it in one of my recent Soukoku stories called 'Bungo stray cats.' So if you want Dazai jealous over a cat because it has Chuuya's attention then check that out.

It started off as a bad morning but became an increasingly worse day for Chuuya.

Chuuya tumbled out of bed that morning, a ghost of the proud executive he was mere hours ago as he scrambled for the toilet to heave. Whatever measly meal he scavenged from his pantry before he collapsed to his bed had been emptied into his toilet.

Chuuya refused to rest his head against the toilet lid, instead, he leaned back against the wall and put a hand to his stomach, noting the dull pain in his Naval. He took his hand away, not wanting to put any more pressure on his stomach should he throw up again.

Chuuya didn't remember exactly what he ate last night, could he have gotten food poisoning? With the constant pulsing ache in his stomach, he would assume so.

Normally Chuuya would not be so careless, in fact, he usually cooked his own food. He never dared to get fast food and even if he had endured an overnight mission the boss had assigned him, he wouldn't stop at a restaurant.

Did he even eat last night?

Chuuya didn't remember, coming back from that mission was an exhausted haze of a memory for him.

Now, his head felt heavy on his shoulders as he convinced himself to stand up on shaky legs to get into the shower. None of that mattered now, not his stomach ache or a slight fever. He needed to get to work on time.

A cold shower didn't seem to help his blooming fever, but hopefully, the fever reducers and the cold compress he had put to his head before leaving would help. Chuuya refused to miss a day of work. There was an important executive meeting later anyways, it wasn't like he could just miss it.

Though Chuuya had noticed something strange about the sickness he had gained. No coughs came with it, it was only stomach pains and vomiting along coupled with his loss of appetite. Whatever he had eaten last night must have had something expired in it.

Chuuya was sure it would go away by the end of the day, really, it had no other choice because he would not miss a day and he absolutely would not go to the doctors.

Thankfully as he stepped foot into the Mafia headquarters, the boss didn't immediately send him on a mission as he sometimes did. He arrived just in time to run into the Black Lizard, who appeared to be on their way out on their own mission.

Hirotsu spotted him first, a crease forming in between his brows "You should take the day off."

Since when was Chuuya one to listen to others? He simply waved him off, holding back the urge to put a hand on his stomach when the pain flared momentarily.

Gin studied him closely and Tachihara gave him a badly concealed look of worry.

"I'm fine" he bit, tone a bit harsher than intended. They left with no more questions asked. Chuuya frowned, did he really appear sick? He had taken a shower and done his hair normally, the curls falling down his shoulder. He had even put on some concealer to hide the eye bags and flushed cheeks, though it could also just come off as a natural blush.

Maybe he just needed to hold himself better, he had probably been slouching.

No one else questioned him because he holed himself up in his office he was granted when he became an executive to do paperwork. His attention wasn't great and his vision was hazy, so he ended up abandoning his paperwork, dropping his pen to nurse his head.

A nap wouldn't hurt, right? He could just lay his head down for a quick minute and wake up if anyone needed him. Before he could reprimand himself for the thought process, his heavy head rested against the cool wood of the desk and he was out like a light.

———-

Instead of waking up to a subordinate calling his name or the piercing ringing of the phone on his desk, he was awoken to a horse kicking him in the gut.

Or, that is what it had felt like.

Tears pricked at the edge of Chuuya's eyes as he let out a small pained noise, arms immediately going to protectively fold around his stomach as he remained as still as possible as to not draw any more pain.

Eventually, it faded to sharp pulsing pain, though not as bad. Chuuya would have stayed in his folded position if there hadn't been a knock on his door, he quickly straightened himself, carefully masking his wince when the fire in his stomach ached painfully.

He should just stay still for the rest of the day, that sounded nice.

Now the pain was different, the ache was more prominent and more centered in the lower right section of his stomach. And by the stuffy feel of the room, he could tell that his fever had risen.

How long had he been asleep?

The knock came again.

"Ah-" Chuuya cleared his throat, licking his chapped lips "come in."

Higuchi had been the one at his door, she entered with that small nervous smile she usually wore. "Hello Chuuya-san, the boss had requested to see you."

Chuuya nodded "I'll put these files away."

Higuchi took that as a signal to close the door and wait outside for him, which he found himself to be thankful for because once he stood his vision swam and he desperately grabbed for the edge of his desk to steady himself.

He bought a hand up to rub the spots out of his vision (it made it worse) but pushed past the sudden wave of vertigo as he exited his office, flickering the lights off on his way out.

Higuchi wordlessly followed from behind him, though Chuuya could feel her worried gaze on the back of his head as he walked, slower than his normal brisk pace.

"Chibi why do you walk so fast?" Dazai had asked years ago.

Chuuya turned to face him and said, "I have places to be."

And he did, in fact, have places to be, important places, but the searing pain on his stomach would not subside.

Thankfully the elevator was empty so they didn't have to take the stairs, he may not have made it. Chuuya wasn't even sure if he could use his ability with how unstable he was at the moment, Arahabaki would for sure only worsen his health.

"...Chuuya-San?" Higuchi asked, snapping out of his thoughts. Oh. He had been standing in front of the large double doors to the boss's office.

"Right sorry."

When they entered the room Mori had been waiting for them, arms folded over his desk as they always were, hands clasped in front of his mouth. Elise was probably somewhere off to the side coloring her morbid pictures. Chuuya loved the kid, he really did, but her last 'artwork' had been a picture of Chuuya laying in a hospital bed, and that was unnerving.

Akutagawa stood in front of the desk, arms to his side as he waited for orders. Chuuya went to stand next to him, Higuchi staying outside to guard the door. Chuuya wasn't surprised to see Akutagawa, because wherever he was, Higuchi wasn't far behind.

Mori's gaze lingered on Chuuya before he spoke, addressing the two of them. Akutagawa's back straightened but Chuuya wasn't sure he could correct his posture if he wanted to.

"I have an important errand that you two are going to run for me," Mori said after a beat of silence.

Akutagawa coughed into his fist "does this happen to be dress shopping again?"

From the back, Elise perked up at the mention of dresses.

Mori dismissed the idea with the flick of a wrist "no, we went shopping for dresses yesterday. This errand..."

His voice drifted in one ear and out the other, muddled as if they were underwater. Chuuya just stood there, nodding along numbly and forcing his arm not to clutch at his throbbing stomach.

Normally he would be alert and asking questions, but he just stood there, looking sickly pale.

"Dismissed" the boss finally announced, the words snapped him out of his stupor.

Chuuya sluggishly turned to follow Akutagawa out of the room, the cool air blew against his hot face, he felt absolutely terrible. He even tripped on his way back, too focused on the gnawing pain in his stomach to pay attention to his feet.

Akutagawa had steadied him by the shoulders, Higuchi watching worriedly as Chuuya gained his balance and pushed off. "I'm fine," he said before they could ask.

He couldn't even convince himself with that tone.

Chuuya didn't catch much of the boss's orders, but he assumed that he and Akutagawa were to be sent to gather intel. He would inconspicuously dig the information from the other.

"...Chuuya-san?" Higuchi asked, they had stopped in front of the doors of the storage room.

Oh. Chuuya really needed to push the pain to the back of his mind and pay attention.

Akutagawa entered Chuuya following after him. When Chuuya didn't move to do anything, Akutagawa eyed him weirdly before opening the closest locker. "...let's find it, it'll have to be stored in here somewhere."

...what were they supposed to be looking for?

Chuuya slowly started sorting through the lockers and boxes in the large storage room. Higuchi joined in on the search, helping him open a locker when his fingers fumbled with the lock.

"Are you alright?" She asked in a hushed tone once the locker was opened. "You look... unwell."

Chuuya knew that his eyes were drooping and that he was a shade paler than normal. He knew that his cheeks were flushed red and that his vision was swimming...

Chuuya blinked heavily, the dots danced in his vision, mocking him. He could feel Higuchi studying him closely, but he couldn't hold in the grunt when the pain suddenly flared up in his stomach, pulling and wrenching at his insides.

This pain wasn't the kind he had experienced before. He had been shot, broken limbs, and nearly died multiple times, but this pain was different. His blood was on fire, boiling inside of his body.

It wasn't too far from corruption, though he was more aware now, and there was an ever-growing searing in his stomach.

Chuuya saw the exact moment Higuchi's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to call, right as he knelt over to fold in on himself. Her voice didn't escape her mouth, even if Chuuya saw her lips moving. She was saying something, but what was it?

Chuuya turned away from her as he sunk to the ground, not wanting her or anyone else to see the hot tears pooling in his eyes.

There were hands on him, pulling him somewhere but he didn't know where he was, he weakly struggled against them, but the movement doubled the pain.

The blackness in his vision intensified, flashing white before he felt his eyes roll to the back of his head.

———

Chuuya was acting strange. Akutagawa noticed it the moment the executive stepped into the office. He was a ghost of the proud man he once was, looking miserable and defeated, skin the same shade of Akutagawa's.

There was no doubt that he was sick.

He wasn't listening to the boss's orders or asking questions as intently as he once did, and he even allowed himself to stumble in the hallway.

Nakahara didn't stumble.

The last straw had been in the storage room, Akutagawa had been searching one side of the room while Chuuya and Higuchi sifted through the other lockers. They were ordered to find an artifact that would be traded to another organization as a peace treaty, though Akutagawa highly suspected that the boss had stolen it from under their noses and is just now returning it to them.

As Akutagawa closed a cardboard box, scribbling a sharp red X on it to mark that he had already been through it, he heard a thump from across the large room, then Higuchi yelling desperately.

"Chuuy- Chuuya-San?!" She shouted, tone laced with concern. Akutagawa swiftly dropped what he was doing to turn around and see what the racket was.

Chuuya was leaning heavily against the locker as he slid to the floor, folding in on himself. Akutagawa had never seen so much pain presented so openly on the executive's face before.

This must have been worse than he had anticipated.

Akutagawa didn't register walking over to the two at a brisk pace, but he knelt next to Higuchi who had a hand on Chuuya's shoulder to prevent him from flopping over on his side.

Akutagawa tried to call his name, but the only response was a dazed noise from the other. Higuchi reached out to feel his forehead and immediately pulled away.

"His fever is terrible," She gasped.

"It has to be more than that," Akutagawa replied, sliding on Chuuya's other side to keep him steady. He tried to push lightly on his back to pull him forwards and get his head in between his knees. "I need you to breathe and tell us what hurts."

Chuuya struggled against his hold, gasping in pain with the sudden movement.

Before Higuchi or Akutagawa could say anything else, he promptly went limp, body falling to the side like a Marionette doll whose strings had been cut.

Akutagawa quickly lowered his body to a lying position, Chuuya's breathing was uneven but there.

"Did he pass out from pain?" Higuchi asked, eyebrows knit together with worry.

"I believe so."

Higuchi took a stabilizing breath before her eyes flashed with determination, Akutagawa watched as she reached for the hem of the executive's shirt to push it up a little past his belly button.

Akutagawa silently observed as her fingers came in contact with flushed skin, pressing down lightly on the bottom right area of Chuuya's stomach above his hip bone.

The executive unconsciously whimpered, and when she pressed harder his head flew back, mouth open in a silent scream.

Akutagawa realized what she was doing as soon as she pulled away.

"He has to have appendicitis, it's known to cause an insane amount of pain if left untreated..."

Akutagawa nodded in solemn agreement. Now he noticed how distended the area of his stomach looked.

He had seen cases of appendicitis during his and his sister's times on the streets, and they were always fatal without the proper medical treatment. (They couldn't have afforded it.) Once their appendix burst, their internal organs were exposed to bacteria and they soon died after.

Luckily he never came in contact with it, until now.

"Do we have time?" He asked.

Higuchi's lips pressed into a thin line "it looks like he's been hiding it for a while now, but it hasn't burst yet. We need to get him to the medics as soon as possible."

Akutagawa cursed under his breath at the unsatisfactory situation. They couldn't take Chuuya to the port mafias medical center, it was run by fearful nurses and doctors who just wanted a pay raise or were forced to work there. They weren't experienced in surgeries, only digging out bullets without antiseptic.

Akutagawa made it a point not to get hurt on a mission. Ever.

Higuchi seemed to agree, judging by the contemplating look she was giving the unconscious executive.

Asking the boss to do the surgery himself was a hit or miss. Akutagawa knew that Chuuya would sooner die than allow that, Mori may be their boss but he wasn't a good person to trust in this situation. If he did treat Chuuya then there would be a darker dept over his head as opposed to just a boss giving his subordinate orders. No one wanted to have a blood debt to Mori Ougai.

Well, none of them were good people, but Chuuya was just slightly better than the rest of them. He cared for his subordinates, knew their family members' names and birthdays.

He praised Akutagawa, something so alien that Akutagawa didn't know what to think at first when it started with the head pats.

Akutagawa would not allow the best of them to die in this place.

"Higuchi," he said calmly, "is his phone in his pocket?"

The blonde scurried to check the redhead's pockets, finding his phone in the back one. She wordlessly slipped it out and handed it over.

Akutagawa did not want to do this, but he didn't see much of a choice.

Akutagawa swiped right on the phone screen and pressed on the favored contact labeled 'mackerel .'

He pressed it before he could regret his decision.

———

The ringing of a phone disrupted the relative silence of the agency, though no one seemed too surprised when they realized that it was Dazai's phone. Kunikida yelled at him to silence, but as per usual, Dazai ignored it, staring down at the contact.

He decided to answer it for once unless the Chibi was drunk during work hours, it was possibly an important message.

"Ah Chibi, what are you doing calling me during your work hours? Miss me~"

"Dazai-san," said a voice that was definitely not Chuuya. Dazai straightened slightly, Kunikida cutting off his yelling when he noticed the sudden change in his partner's demeanor.

"Akutagawa," he said, tone carefully stable, "what seems to be the issue?"

"Does the agency's doctor have a way to cure appendicitis?"

The question made Dazai raise an eyebrow "...No, she can only heal injuries when a person is close to death."

There was shuffling on the other end of the line, and on Dazai's side, the agency members were giving him curious looks.

"Is someone injured?" Atsushi asked, concerned.

Dazai didn't answer, focusing on his conversation."Why do you have Chuuya's phone?"

"Dammit" Akutagawa hissed, the sound of a female voice could be heard in the background. "Chuuya-san has passed out from the pain, he isn't close to death but there's nothing the doctors here can do."

The puzzle pieces slotted together in Dazai's mind, and he was immediately on his feet, shrugging on his overcoat. "Keep him comfortable, I will drive over there and handle things."

"Understood."

The line went dead.

"Dazai-san, is there anything I can do?"

Dazai handed off his paperwork to Atsushi "Yes, my paperwork."

Kunikida shot him a dirty look, but didn't yell anymore, he must have understood the gravity of whatever situation Dazai had gotten himself into this time.

Dazai left with a dismissive wave "I'll explain later."

Well, he probably wouldn't.

The world around Dazai moved slowly as he stole Kunikida's car, it was better than walking all the way to the Port Mafia's headquarters.

Akutagawa was smart to call him, the medical workers of the Port Mafia wouldn't be too much of a help, and it wasn't like Akutagawa could just take Chuuya to the hospital himself, he was recognizable to the public and their covers would be blown.

Though Dazai also knew that Chuuya had a big issue with hospitals.

He would worry about that later, but for now, they needed to get him to surgery before his appendix burst.

Akutagawa and his blonde helper who had ambushed Atsushi and the Tanizaki's were waiting at the side entrance, Chuuya being supported between the two of them. Despite how short the redhead was, Akutagawa and Higuchi wouldn't have been able to carry him.

Dazai pulled up beside them and flung the door open, moving to open the passenger side door so they could settle him into the seat. When Higuchi attempted to fasten his seatbelt, he made a noise in protest, sluggishly pushing her hands away.

"Oh, sorry" she apologized guiltily, pulling away.

"'S fine" Chuuya slurred. While he was conscious now, he still looked the worst Dazai had seen him in years. It looked as if he was suffering the aftereffects of corruption, fever, and a lot of pain.

"I'll get him home safe and sound~" Dazai assured before Akutagawa closed the door.
Chuuya was in and out on their way to the hospital, curled up into himself and groaning every time they hit a bump. For it to be this bad, he must have hidden it for half of the day. Appendicitis was known to climax in a matter of hours.

It looks like they had no other choice but for emergency surgery.

Chuuya's head lolled against the cool window, and Dazai snapped a finger in front of his face.

"Hmm?" he grunted.

"Chibi, can you tell me your favorite animal?"

Chuuya grit his teeth "Tch. You- you trying to d... distract me?"

Dazai smirked "You know me too well, Chibi. Have to keep you awake somehow."

"N- Not chibi."

Dazai swerved and Chuuya hissed. "Favorite animal?" He repeated.

"D-dogs... They Are loyal and they don't... and they don't leave. I-i want a puppy."

Dazai snorted, ignoring the jab at him. "The Chibi reminds me of a dog, stubborn and always yapping~"

"S-shut up."

The distraction seemed to work, because the next thing Dazai knew, he was pulling into one of the handicap parking places, hurriedly getting Chuuya out of the car and wrapping his arm around his shoulder. The height difference made it awkward, but they managed to stumble into the emergency room just fine.

Nurses dropped what they were doing and rushed to help them get to a wheelchair as soon as they spotted them. Dazai gently set him down, but soon was flooded by questions. He held a hand up to stop them. "He has appendicitis and doesn't have much time before it ruptures."

One of the Nurses bent over to lift Chuuya's shirt and press down on his stomach, he thrashed back, yelping as tears pricked his eyes.

Dazai gave the nurse a glare as she put his shirt back down. Dazai moved closer to Chuuya and put a hand on his shoulder, calming down his frantic breathing. He was terrified of the hospital, and that certainly did not help. "There was no need to do that."

"Protocol," the nurse sighed, scribbling on a clipboard. "We need to get him prepped for surgery and into an operating room as soon as a surgeon is available. Put him on painkillers while we wait."

Dazai patted Chuuya's head like the dog he was before he was wheeled off. Dazai noticed the shaking in his shoulders as he turned a corner.

Well, that certainly was not okay.

Dazai settled down onto one of the many uncomfortable plastic chairs in the waiting room, eyes scanning over the families, some crying and some holding onto their sick or injured family members

Dazai could see why the hospital was not Chuuya's favorite place. Even if Dazai himself felt no remorse inside for the families around them who had gotten into the unfortunate situations, he knew that the Chibi did.

Being a Doctor would be a much more suitable job for Chuuya, though he was a part of the mafia he still valued life, unlike Dazai himself did. A weird trait to have while working in the underground. Though none of them were truly 'good people' per se, Chuuya still killed when he had to and was paid deliciously for it, and Dazia worked at the armed detective agency and saved lives, yet they held no meaning to him. They both sat together in that gray area of 'screwed up but complicated.'

After a while of fiddling on his phone and ignoring the many missed texts and calls from Kunikida and Atsushi, Dazai stood up, switching to the maps app. The red beacon shone on the map, close to his own. Chuuya must have been taken to one of the ground-level rooms then.

Dazai scanned the hallway before slipping down it, straightening his posture. As long as he walked as he belonged there, then no one would question him.

He caught a glimpse of familiar red hair through one of the windows, and silently pushed past the door, clicking it shut behind him.

Chuuya had been dressed in one of those thin hospital gowns, his blankets pulled up to his waist. An IV was inserted, pain-reducing medications now flowing through his system.

Upon closer look, Dazai could tell he was remaining as still as possible, though his chest was heaving. There was no heart monitor attached, they must be about to send him off to surgery pretty soon.

"Chibi" Dazai stood next to the bed, leaning over so Chuuya could see his face. Chuuya's own eyes were hazy and unfocused, panic overtaking him, the nurses inserting the IV must have sent him spiraling.

"Chuuya" Dazai tried again, bringing his bandaged hands to hold Chuuya's face. "Listen to my voice and breathe for me, okay?"

Chuuya shakily nodded, his own shaky hands coming up to cling onto Dazai's wrists.

"You are not in the lab anymore, this is a hospital. The doctor is going to help you, not harm you. Do you understand?"

Another nod, Chuuya's eyes started to come back into focus as they stared into Dazai's own. Dazai carefully took Chuuya's hand and held it over his own chest, emphasizing his breaths. Slowly but surely, Chuuya's breathing started to even out, though his body trembled, with appendicitis and the panic attack, he must have been exhausted.

"That's right" Dazai encouraged "You got it."

Eventually, Chuuya relaxed into the hospital bed, hands going limp. Dazai lay his arms back down to his side. He was exhausted, the medication letting him find some shelter from the pain.

Then a team of Doctors barged into the room, the main one studied Dazai for a long moment, taking in the sight of the tear tracks on the patient's face. He gave Dazai one short nod "Thanks for the help."

Dazai shrugged, not turning away from Chuuya, whose azure eyes had cracked open at the sound of the intrusion.

"You're going to go into surgery now" Dazai explained in a low tone "I won't let anything happen."

"Y-You better."

"You know I don't make empty promises Chibi~" If Chuuya had the strength, then he would have punched Dazai across the room.

"Be there... when I wake... up." Chuuya's eyes slid shut, face free of pain.

"I'll be there this time, Chibi. I will." Dazai left one last lingering touch on Chuuya's face, his thumb tracing his cheekbones. Then turned to the doctors, who patiently watched the scene, much more polite than the nurses.

He nodded to them and stepped aside, letting them whisk Chuuya off to the surgery room.

It was needless to say that the agency's calls remained unanswered for the next week as Dazai held Chuuya captive in his own apartment through the recovery process.